Confucius Institute and University of Sierra Leone have on Friday June 23rd2017, officially launched the 2017 Summer Camp to China for students of the Confucius Institute at University of Sierra Leone.

In attendance at the ceremony were Prof. Ekundayo Thompson Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone, Prof. Sarh Gbamanja Deputy Vice Chancellor of Fourah Bay College, and other officials from the University including the beneficiary students for the Summer Camp. In attendance from the Chinese side were also Ambassador WU peng, Counsellor Wang Xinmin, Director of Confucius Institute at USL Prof HE Mingqing and other officials of the embassy.

The Summer Camp which commences on June 25thto July 9this jointly coordinated by the Chinese Embassy, Confucius Institute and the University of Sierra Leone with the aim of giving opportunity to students learning the Chinese Language in the University of Sierra Leone to have an experience and understanding of Chinese people and their culture in China.

In his brief launching remark, Ambassador WU wish the students enjoyable journey and a great experience in China. “Welcome to China and enjoy your stay” Ambassador WU said.

Prof. Thompson, while addressing the students and officials at event said the Summer Camp was a tremendous opportunity and out of school experience that would last with the students for many years to come. He emphasized that the departure of the students to China was part of the collaborative effort between the two countries that is evidence not only in the Sierra Leone educational sector but in the infrastructural development as well.

The Vice Chancellor thanked the Chinese Embassy and Confucius Institute for the opportunity giving to the students to travel to China as part of the benefits of learning the Chinese. He thus, cautioned the beneficiary student to make good use of the opportunity, because it was big privilege for them to be chosen out of students population that was well over 6,000 to represent the country at the Summer Camp. He pointed out that China was greatly changing the world base on the development trend witness over time and therefore urged the students to have good experience from the Summer Camp that they would come back with to the country.

Prof Sarh Gbamanja, Deputy Vice Chancellor of FBC, also reiterated that, the importance of the summer camp to the students and called on them to embrace and make it great experience. He said China is becoming world power base on what they were doing in Africa countries including Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone. He noted that the present Confucius Institute at FBC has helped bring more transformation to education at the college and also giving greater opportunity to students to excel in the Chinese Language.

Counsellor Wang Xinmin of the Embassy while making a statement said China and Sierra Leone have assisted each other at different level.

Noting that in 2014 China was the first country to support Sierra Leone during the outbreak of the devastating Ebola Virus. He told the students that Summer Camp would give them an opportunity to experience the Chinese culture and that it was more gratifying to see Sierra Leoneans go to China in order to witness the uniqueness of the country and see the harmony between nature and man.

He explained that in the 1970s China was also a poor country, but through hard work and commitment, China has become the second biggest economy in the world and they have been able to lift over 700 million people out of poverty. He urged the students to be committed towards learning the Chinese language because it would provide the learners more opportunity since countries all over the world are heating their businesses with China. Learning Chinese language will not only bring about academic achievements but with great economic and development potentials.